StH: Closure
by Vorahk295
Summary: Things are looking up on Moebius, which is now prospering under the rule of King Miles and Queen Alicia. However, Miles is harbouring bitter memories, and things only get worse when Scourge returns, leading the Destructix, with the intention of taking back the throne.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, here's a quick little story I did for an Art Trade on DA. Pretty much a story focused on the way I characterize Miles/Anti-Tails. Probably not a good choice of story if you think Scourge is the best thing ever, but if so, why are you even here? That said, enjoy.

* * *

StH: Closure- Chapter 1

Moebius, normally a grim, vile world, was currently in the throes of a mass celebration, following the coronation of its latest monarchs, Miles and Alicia Prower. The two were a young couple, only twenty and twenty-five years old respectively, and many hoped that this would be reflected in their attitudes. That said, there was still a great deal of apprehension. The previous king had also been just twenty-four, and his so-called queen had been the tender age of sixteen. As if sensing this anxiety, King Miles had appeared before his people, and announced that the reign of Scourge the Hedgehog was both a thing of the past, and not officially recognised- Scourge had never been crowned, he had stolen power, and his queen, Fiona Fox, was not of Moebian birth, and therefore ineligible for the role.

Miles had made sure to retain a good public image- he always appeared well dressed, with Alicia by his side, and he always maintained an amicable personality. Beneath this smartly-dressed, polite exterior, however, rested a bitter cynic, damaged by the course his life had taken.

The early hours of the morning found Miles slowly making his way out of the cemetery located to the back of the palace in which he lived. His crown and cape were missing- he dressed just as he would have before his rise to power. His normal, confident smirk was replaced by a mournful expression of emptiness. Alicia was waiting for him at the gate, and hugged him as he drew near.

"You alright?" She asked, gently resting her head on her husband's shoulder.  
"No… every time I go back there, I get angrier. At myself, for failing to prevent it, and him… for doing it in the first place."  
"I understand, darling. But he's rotting in a cold, dark cell now, and the fourth one got away before he killed her."  
"True. You know, I think he was right when he said Fiona was smart for getting out when she did. Just not in the way you'd think."  
"Yes. Besides, I think there's something you need to see." Alicia said. "I commissioned it a while ago, and it's finally finished."  
"And I take it you can't tell me what it is?"  
"Correct."  
"Alright then." Miles feigned a smile, and allowed Alicia to lead him back into the castle, and into the main atrium. Whereas there had previously been a large statue of Alicia's father, Maxx, there was now something altogether larger, hidden by a curtain. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get rid of that old statue."  
"I'm surprised it took me this long." Alicia sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I suppose you can blame it on the lack of replacement. Okay, Anima. Drop the curtain."  
"Yes Mistress." A neutral, female voice echoed around the room, and the velvet curtain dropped away.

To say that the new statue was grand was an understatement. It was golden, the bulk of It being formed by three identical figures- all of them vixens, clad in light armour, and carrying blades. The central one was holding hers aloft, the one to the left was planting hers in the chest of a prone hedgehog clad in biker gear, and the one to the right had stowed her weapon and was holding a smaller, wingless vixen with similar features in her arms. A plaque at the base of it read "A tribute to the fallen, and the one who avoided their fate."

"It's… it's…" Miles mumbled, his mouth hanging open, before finally turning to embrace Alicia. "It's beautiful. Thank you."  
"You're welcome." She replied, returning the hug. "Now, it's gone midnight sweetie. Come to bed."  
"Alright."

* * *

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, though, the royal couple's improved mood was shattered, when Anima approached with news. Miles reclining on his throne, with Alicia under his arm, and his free hand resting on the hilt of an ornate blade.

"The No-Zone has suffered a mass breakout." The lynx said. "Scourge was among the escapees. He has returned to Moebius, and massacred several villages. He sent one survivor to bring this message to us. The aforementioned villager reported seeing Scourge excavate a cache of purple stones."  
"How did he get out?" Miles growled. "The Zone Cops may be incompetent at claiming their targets, but they are certainly adept at maintaining them."  
"Reportedly, it was the doing of the Prime zone's counterparts to the Protectix, led by Fiona Fox."  
"Ugh… that misguided girl is playing right into his hands again… If he's coming for us, let him come. Shield the statue. I want him to see it. In fact, shield most of the building. If he has a set of Anarchy Beryls, then this will require the use of our set as well, and I have no desire to cause any property damage."  
"Yes Master."  
"Estimated time of arrival for Scourge?"  
"He has to slow down for his team, so I would say around midday."  
"Hm… a showdown at high noon. How poetic." Miles sighed.

* * *

Noon came slowly, leaving Miles stewing in a mix of hatred, outrage, and anticipation, as a plan formed in his mind. It wasn't by any means elaborate- it lacked the myriad complexities his plans normally held, but the reason why was simple. His usual schemes were formulated so that, in the event that the plan failed, he still won in one way or another. This time, however, there was no way to make failure beneficial. If he lost the upcoming battle, Scourge would kill him. Then Alicia would either share his fate or worse, and what would happen to Anima was anyone's guess. This time, it was simple: Goad Scourge into battling him one-on-one, and overwhelm him with superior mastery of his Anarchy powers.

Miles once more shed his cape and placed his crown in the seat of his throne. He slid the sword into its scabbard, and slung it over his shoulder. His fists tightened, and he turned on his heel, before leaving the throne room. Alicia, Anima, and the rest of the Squad were waiting for him in the main atrium. He passed them, looking up at the statue, and rested his hand against the boot of the central figure. The fox bowed his head.

"This ends today, Anna." He whispered, looking back up at the figure's confident smile and steely gaze, before turning to face the door, which exploded off its hinges a few moments later.

Scourge was the first through the open doorway, swaggering as per usual. The moment he entered, Miles felt the presence of the Anarchy Beryl he had claimed. Directly behind him was Fiona, who, despite her smirk, seemed to be limping a little. Afterwards came a wiry lynx, a huge, muscular gorilla, blue-feathered hawk, and frog, dressed like a pilot from a time when planes lacked canopies.

Immediately, their attention was drawn to the magnificent statue behind Miles. Most of them were simply distracted by the imposing figures. Fiona, meanwhile had immediately noticed that all four of the vixens bore a distinct resemblance to herself- in fact, the smaller one, cradled in the arms of the right-hand figure, even shared her outfit and hairstyle. Scourge, meanwhile stared, wide-eyed.

"I see you noticed the little gift Alicia arranged for me." Miles said, stepping forward. "I'm sure, Scourge, that you recognise the meaning? Why don't you explain it to your poor girlfriend. She seems more than a little bewildered by it."  
"I, er, I don't think that's necessary." Scourge replied.  
"Scourge?" Fiona cut in. "What's he talking about?"  
"It's nothing!"  
"It sure seems like something…"  
"Tell you what…" Miles spoke up, getting into his stride. "Alicia and Anima will tell you, while myself and Scourge sort this out the old fashioned way. They're rather good storytellers."  
"Forget that!" Scourge roared. "Destructix, attack!"

Miles sighed, and vanished in a pulse of purple light, reappearing in the midst of the group. He immediately singled out the ape- the name wasn't important, what was important was that he was, barring Scourge, the strongest of the group physically. Miles' hand clamped around his thick neck, and lifted him away from the ground, strangling him in the process. The ape flailed helplessly, trying to struggle out of the hold, only to be thrown into the wall. Then the young king's hands locked around his ankle, and he was hoisted up, and swung clean over Miles' shoulder, and into the floor on the other side. A deft kick to the midsection rolled him onto his back, and Miles slashed his gut open with a single stroke from his tail. Then he returned to the Suppression Squad, and dusted himself off.

"Your team can do nothing to mine, Scourge. They are, in comparison, poorly trained. They are outnumbered. I just defeated and heavily wounded your powerhouse. I have Anima. You have no means to bargain with me… well, I can think of a few things, but none of them are beneficial in the long run. So, now, for once in your wretched existence, you will listen."  
"Tch, fine." Scourge grumbled.  
"Now, you and I will fight, on even terms. I know you have a set of Anarchy Beryl. I do too. There is no need for our sides to fight. We can sort this out the cleaner way."  
"You're kidding, right?" Scourge laughed. "I can kick the crap out of you without even trying!"  
"Then you won't have a problem accepting this challenge, will you?"  
"Okay then, you're on, Miles."

The two sets of Anarchy Beryl appeared in the same moment, revolving around their respective owners. Scourge's aura became visible, and exploded upwards, enveloping him, and turning his fur as purple as it was. His eyes turned crimson, and the sclerae faded to black, as his quills stood on end, and the flames on his jacket turned blue. Miles' transformation, meanwhile, was much more subdued- the colour washed from his fur leaving him grey all over, as his irises turned purple, and, like Scourge, his sclerae became black.

"Even my Super form looks better than yours." Miles smirked, violet fire igniting around his hands. Scourge let out an animalistic snarl, and charged into Miles, smashing him straight into a wall. He pressed his forearm against his opponent's throat, trying to choke him, and started pummelling the fox's stomach repeatedly with his free fist. Miles groaned, and lifted his knee into the purple hedgehog's groin, hard. Scourge let out a howl of agony, and doubled up, floating backwards, and promptly received two rock-hard tails to the gut, then two fists straight down on his forehead, sending him plummeting back into the floor.

"Not bad…" Miles mused. "But your power does not match your brutality."  
"You talk too much…" Scourge hissed, standing up, and charging at his enemy again. Miles deflected the incoming punch with his elbow, and delivered an uppercut to Scourge's chin, which he followed up with another tail swipe, which sent the hedgehog tumbling out of the doorway. Miles once more dusted off his coat, and pursued.

"Well, they'll be doing that for a while." Alicia shrugged. "Now, I suppose you want an explanation as to what my new piece of artwork is all about?"  
"I wouldn't mind." Fiona said. "I thought you guys hated me. Why did you put four of me on a plinth?"  
"It's not that simple." The squirrel chuckled, beckoning the vixen over to her side. "You were… an obstacle… to myself and Miles' accession. Honestly, if you hadn't left when you did, we would probably have kept you around, at least for a little while. Come closer, have a look at the plaque."

Apprehensively, Fiona made her way over to Alicia, who immediately snaked an arm around her shoulders. Fiona yelped at the hands-on approach, but the queen pressed a finger against her lips, hushing her, then gestured to the brass plaque.  
"Read it."  
"A tribute to the fallen, and the one who avoided their fate… what does that even mean?"  
"The fallen are the three bigger ladies. The central one is the Fiona of our world, Anna Fox. She was a lot like you are now. Miles fell head over heels for her, but she was more into Scourge. Sound familiar?"  
"Just like me, with Sonic and Tails…"  
"Exactly. Well, except Scourge was, well, Scourge, and he treated her like something scraped off the sole of his shoe. That probably sounds familiar too, right? I noticed that you're limping."  
"Yeah. Scourge isn't exactly… gentlemanly. I got a little… out of line while he was powerless in the No-Zone."  
"Well, Anna was a bit of a glutton for punishment. She was a bit weird like that. Scourge didn't like that at all. He wanted her to suffer. His actions started escalating. It went from simple yelling, to the occasional beating, to outright domestics. All the while, Miles tried to get her away from him. She refused. Well, this kept on until one day, Miles found her, lying on the ground in a back-alley. She was dying, and no matter what he did, he couldn't save her. Scourge was the killer, of course. He went back and attacked Scourge in a rage, and Scourge beat the crap out of him."  
"Oh my gods…"  
"Yeah." Alicia sighed. "The autopsy report is… it's something else. Miles has never read it. He doesn't want to know what Scourge did to her. I've read it myself... and I can tell you that you don't want to see it either."  
"Oh…"

"The one on the left is Felicia. She came from another world. She was a mercenary, who Miles met during his first foray into interdimensional travel. She followed him back, and he tried to push her away, so she wouldn't join up with us, but she wanted him. Scourge seduced her, though. He gave attention when Miles shunned her. Of course, she was more than a little feisty, and Scourge didn't like the idea of someone else having any form of power in a relationship, as you discovered. She ended up meeting the same fate. Didn't take as long, either."  
"Oh… and the last one?"

"She's Faye. She's the one I pity the most. She was a sweet thing, studying for her doctorate when she met Scourge. He'd gone through the Warp Ring to find another Anna copy. He'd started to enjoy both the act, and Miles' reactions, and he was really mad at Miles at the time. He played the suave charmer again, and he showed Faye a good time… then he did the same thing to her. The final vixen, 'The one that avoided their fate' is you. You got away from that horrible end when you left Scourge. We didn't realise that you had gone back for him, but it's not too late. You can still get away from him."

Fiona stared at Alicia, not quite believing her, but the squirrel remained firm, not attempting to dodge the vixen's perceptive gaze. Once it finally twigged, she sank down to her knees, and started to cry softly. Alicia crouched down next to her, and hugged her tightly.

"Anima, deal with Scourge's band of mercenaries. He won't be needing them anymore."


	2. Chapter 2

StH: Closure- Chapter 2

Anima stepped forward from the rest of the Suppression Squad, smirking. The remaining Destructix were staring at her, as she moved forward, pulling out a silver hilt, from which a glowing, curved blade extended.

"Well, gentlemen." She said. "Are we going to do this the easy way, or the entertaining way?"  
"This is nuts…" Lightning Lynx said. "We need to get out of here."  
"I wanna play with the funny kitty with the shiny stick!" Flying Frog replied.  
"Yeah, we can take her!" Predator Hawk agreed. "Three on one."  
"Fine, kill yourselves. My life might still be on track if you hadn't showed up to 'fetch' me." Lightning snarled, running out of the door.  
"Coward." Predator sighed. "Still, two on one is good."

Anima laughed, both disturbing Predator slightly, and surprising him, when, midway through, the laugh developed its own echo. Then something slammed into his back, knocking him over, and burning it.  
"Ooh, two of them!"  
"What?"

Looking up, Predator saw a monochrome mirror image of Anima, hovering in the doorway, with smoke rising from the palm of her hand.

"Mistress, how should I deal with them?" Both lynxes said.  
"Don't kill them…" Alicia shrugged. "Yet. Miles might be able to think of some use for them."  
"Yes Mistress."

The grey Anima's hand lit up, and a purple beam lanced from it. Predator rolled to the side, and took to the air, flying around and diving back towards the original Anima, and slashed at her with his claws. Anima sidestepped, and jabbed her katana at his gut, but he took off again, and kicked her in the face, only to find that she didn't budge an inch. She reached her free hand up, and smashed him into the floor, before swinging herself around, and flinging him across the room, straight into Frog, who was in the middle of cartwheeling away from one of the other Anima's lasers.  
"Whee!" Frog giggled, as Predator struggled to get out from underneath him. "Let's do that again!"  
"Frog! Get off me!"

When Predator finally managed to get out from underneath Frog, he caught another beam in the gut, then stumbled into the path of Anima's sword, which sliced into his midsection. She pivoted, and swung it into the other side, then smashed the pommel into his forehead, knocking him unconscious.

Allowing herself a moment's respite, Anima sealed the fallen hawk's injuries with nanites- no need to kill him before Miles decided the group's fate. She was promptly interrupted by the feeling of something coiling around her midriff. She turned around, and sighed as she realised that she had been caught by Frog's tongue.

"Must you lick me?" She asked. "You have no idea where I have been."  
"Uuaaaa?" He slurred in response. Anima sighed, and raised her sword, then brought it down on Frog's tongue, severing it at the halfway point. The section that wrapped around her fell limp and dropped to the ground, as Frog pulled back the rest, screaming incoherently, as Anima calmly approached him, and backhanded him, knocking him out as well.

"Done, Mistress." Anima smiled, as the grey copy vanished.  
"H-how is she so strong?" Fiona asked.  
"Her body, while it is organic, is legionized. Her arms are mechanical." Alicia replied, stroking the vixen's back. "Now, Anima, I have another task for you. I want you to get Fiona into something less… restricting. And not provided by Scourge."  
"Yes Mistress."  
"Now, come along, Fiona. That thing doesn't look at all comfy."  
"Okay…"

Alicia helped Fiona to her feet, and led her deeper into the castle.  
"How close do you think I came to… you know…"  
"Getting killed by Scourge?"  
"Yeah…"  
"In the usual way? Well, look at what he did to your leg. He's already at the point where he's attacking you for crossing him… it never took him long from that point."  
"Oh. Wait, what do you mean 'usual way'?"  
"Well, when we invaded Mobius together, we turned on you and Scourge, and you ran off."  
"Yeah, I did."  
"Well, Scourge ended up here again, and he went Super for the first time. He decided he was going to spindash Mobius and Moebius in half just because he could. He knew you would be on one of them, but I get the distinct sense that he didn't care."  
"Oh… oh my gods…"  
"Yeah, it was pretty scary moment. Thankfully, Sonic was able to beat him. Somehow. He didn't tell me himself, you'll have to ask when you get back."  
"Get back?"  
"Well, you can't stay here."  
"Why can't I?"  
"Because your body is going to stop working if you do."  
"How come?"  
"I don't know the ins and outs, that's Miles' expertise, but he apparently discovered that, if you stay too long outside your own world, especially if you end up in a direct opposite like this one, then your body stops functioning properly and starts to break down."  
"Oh, fantastic!" Fiona yelled. "I find out that I threw my life away for a homicidal maniac who gets off on killing my counterparts and watching Miles' reaction, then find out that I have to go back to the dimension I betrayed and hope they don't kill me or worse or I'm going to die because my body doesn't work here. Fantastic!"  
"Sorry, but it's true."  
"Well, if I have to go home… then I know what I want to look like. I have to make sure they don't see me as this… mess."

The trio soon arrived in an empty room, where Alicia commanded Fiona to disrobe.  
"Can't Anima do the changes while I'm wearing something?"  
"No. You don't want it to accidently fuse with your skin."  
"Alright." Fiona sighed, stripping herself. She promptly sat down, and pulled her knees up against her torso, and curled her tail around her body, concealing herself as best as possible, while Anima set to work with her nanites.  
"What would you like?" She asked.  
"A bodysuit, which leaves my arms and legs exposed, more like a kind of leotard, I guess… zip up at the front, yellow, with a white stripe down the middle. Matching boots, white gloves, elbow-length. I can take care of my own haircut, though. I just need to wash it, then it'll hang loose again."  
"Coming right up." Anima replied.  
"Go through that door, there's a shower." Alicia cut in. "I'll get you a towel."  
"Thanks." Fiona nodded, standing up and heading through the door, still covering herself.

"For someone who used to dress like that, she's a bit of a prude." Alicia whispered, once Fiona was out of earshot. Anima rolled her eyes, and continued her work.  
"Perhaps she is feeling insecure after you brought her illusory world crashing down around her, then proceeded to take a rather… hands-on approach to both supporting and leading her here, then finally commanded her to strip in front of you, all of this offset by your cold treatment of her the previous time you met. Do not forget that she is a victim in all of this, and she is not going to be entirely stable."  
"True…" Alicia sighed. "We'd best make this as easy for her as possible."

* * *

Meanwhile, far above them, Super Miles landed on the roof of one of the castle's turrets, steadying himself by grabbing the lightning conductor. Allowing himself a second to catch his breath, he watched as Super Scourge screamed down towards him. He warped out of the way of the attack, as Scourge crashed through the conical roof, and looped around, catching Miles as he reappeared, and delivering a string of punches and kicks to Miles, charging each one with Anarchy energy, before smashing his forehead against Miles', and kicking him back down into a courtyard.

"You have speed, you have strength, and you have ferocity…" Miles growled, standing up, and floating off the ground. "But you lack skill, or any true mastery of your powers."

The fox fired a blast into Scourge's chest, pushing him back into the same turret. Miles vanished, reappearing in front of his opponent, as the latter pushed himself off from the wall. The fox grabbed his shoulder, and drove his open hand into Scourge's stomach, letting his claws puncture the skin. Scourge snarled, and punched Miles in the face, then brought both of his feet up and kicked him in the chest, then proceeded to spindash into him, flying through another tower. He was promptly smacked away by the fox's tails for his troubles. He landed on a wall, and placed his hand over the claw marks in his gut, which glowed with purple light, and sealed up.

Miles, meanwhile, healed his injuries without needing to move his hand, and pressed a finger against his earpiece.

"Anima, please shield the outside of the castle as well as the inside."

He got no response, and sighed, realising that the earpiece was broken. He extracted it, and dropped it to the ground, as Scourge finished healing himself, and lunged again. The king sidestepped, and let loose a vicious left hook to the back of his foe's head. He stumbled, and found his throat being squeezed, as he was pressed against a wall.

"You shouldn't have come back, Scourge." He hissed. "You should have stayed, rotting in your cell. True, you would have been left, staring at the same four walls for the rest of your life, doubtless sharing the space with someone unpleasant or unsanitary, but you would have lived. By coming back here, you bought yourself a fate worse than any death that could be inflicted upon you."  
"Hey, take it up with the bitch. She was the one that came to break me out!"  
"Then you should have gone somewhere else! But no, you came back to Moebius. In a way, I'm glad. I can finally put this conflict to rest, I can finally get some closure. I'm going to enjoy subjecting you to our latest punishment for treason, Scourge."  
"Best tell me what it is, runt, 'cause I'm the only king around here, and I'll be the one dishing it out, right after I stomp your mutant ass into the dirt! And hey, this time I might make you watch me kill the stupid slut, just because you decided to stand up to me!"

Miles growled, and jammed his claws into one of the scars on Scourge's chest, ripping through the tissue, before proceeding to drag his talons through the entire wound, opening it up. Scourge screamed, as Miles' Anarchy energy sent miniature electrical shocks through his body.

"You were never king, Scourge. You never had an official coronation. You never even saw the crown. You just stomped into the throne room, snatched the first thing you saw on Ally's head, and proclaimed yourself king. We went along with it because I saw a chance to stop your atrocious cycle of murders, and because we all agreed that the sight of your parading around with one of the princess' tiaras on your head was the funniest thing we'd ever seen. We never feared you, Scourge. All your feelings of power… it was a façade. You've never been much more than a figure of hatred and ridicule."

With that, Miles warped the both of them back into the air, high above the castle, and released Scourge, before performing a forward flip and slashing both of his namesakes across Scourge's head, shattering his sunglasses and sending him reeling backwards. Scourge roared with pain, nursing his new scars, and lunged at Miles, launching another string of hammer blows from his fists, but Miles dodged out of the way of every single one, then vanished from sight again. Before the hedgehog could collect himself, however, a searing pain spread across his back and down his arms, and he looked down to see that his jacket was now literally flaming- it was completely cloaked in violet flames. He snarled, and tore it from his body, letting it drop, and promptly caught an Anarchy spear in the chest, which sent him hurtling back to the ground.

Miles reappeared at ground level, in time to see Scourge crash into the cobblestone floor, leaving a fresh crater in it. Groaning, Scourge picked himself up, glaring hatefully and his opponent.  
"This isn't over… you little mutant freak!"  
"It is long over, Scourge. You lost the moment you chose to face me in a clash of our powers. You never trained yourself to use them, you just fight now like you always fight, just that you have a wider range of motion. And your fighting skills have always been unrefined and pathetic. You just hit whatever is closest as hard as you can, and hope it knocks your opponent out before they land an actually effective move. You rely entirely on your speed. What was it like in the No-Zone Scourge? No powers? I'm willing to bet that you were everyone else's bitch."  
"You're just the same as ever, Miles! You're just talking away when you should be trying to fight me. You might have beaten me if I was a normal, but I'm Super as well! I always beat you when we're on even footing."  
"First off, being in this form grants me many boons that I lack in my normal form, like easier use of even the most powerful Anarchy techniques- which you don't use- and the ability to use my tails for combat while flying. Second off, I have studied the ins and outs of Anarchy and Chaos since our first fight. Finally, in the past, I always let you win. I could've killed you in our third battle if I wanted too. But I didn't. I didn't want to kill you, even after Anna's death. I wanted to make you suffer. So I rested. I waited. I stacked things against you, and every time, I let you beat me, so that you would come to see me as a weak little coward. I let you beat me, Scourge, so that you wouldn't see me as a threat."  
"Somehow, I don't believe a word of that!" Scourge replied, flaring up Anarchy Energy around his hands. "If you're really so prepared to stop me, stop me from doing this!"

With that, Scourge rushed straight past Miles, and blasted back inside the castle. Miles followed, seeing the hedgehog barrel through the Suppression Squad in the process. Then he realised that Scourge kept going, and, more importantly, Alicia, Anima, and Fiona were nowhere to be found.  
'_Oh no he doesn't…_' Miles growled internally. He reached over his left shoulder, and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword, before vanishing once more.

* * *

Scourge, meanwhile, raced through the corridors, the flames in his hands growing bigger by the second. He was even enjoying thinking about what he was about to do. Not just add another one to his list of murdered Annas, but also remove Alicia from the equation as well. He rounded a corner, and spotted them walking in his direction. They were chatting with Anima, and Fiona now looked just like she did the day Scourge had met her. Both of them saw him, and recoiled, as he pointed his hands at them, and fired a huge energy blast that filled the entire corridor. Laughing maniacally, he watched the beam tear its way towards them, until something flashed ahead of it, and it stopped. It had hit something that wasn't going to budge. Nor would it let the attack pass. Then, much to Scourge's horror, it began shrinking back towards him, until he got a clear view of what it was.

It was Miles, holding his sword forward. The blade of it was glowing purple, and it was drawing in all the energy that Scourge had packed into his attack.  
"No!" Scourge yelled, as Miles reached striking distance, and swept the blade aside, completely nullifying the attack. At the same time, Scourge's aura faded, and his fur returned to its (un)natural green, his eyes went back to being blue, and he collapsed, completely drained of energy. "This… this can't be happening!"  
"It is, Scourge." Miles shot back, allowing himself a smile. "This is how our little story ends."

The fox grabbed Scourge's throat, and lifted him upright, then swung the glowing blade down, and cut the hedgehog's legs clean off at the knee. Scourge screamed in pain and outrage, as Miles threw him down the corridor, and rested the sword on his shoulder.

"What… what are you doing?" He yelled. "Finish this like a man! Kill me!"  
"Didn't you get what I said earlier? I don't want to kill you. I never wanted to kill you. I wanted you to suffer. I wanted you to feel the pain that I felt. That Anna felt. Felicia, Faye, and Fiona too. That's why I'm taking you in for treason, not murder. In the fast, this would have meant dragging you along to a scaffold, then slicing your stomach open and disembowelling you, one organ at a time, before burning them in front of your own eyes. Now though, I found something better. I'm going to have you roboticized."  
"Ain't that the thing that the Doc does in Blue's world?"  
"Yes. You're going to be converted into a machine, but while the machine persona will take over your body, the real you will be trapped inside. Your body will be your own prison. You'll be able to see, feel, hear, even taste and smell everything that happens to you, but you will be powerless to stop it. And I'm going to use you as a weapon, a tool of war, an attack dog in Roebian shape. I may even cut bits out of you and fill you with weapons that, should someone try to change you back, won't convert with you, leaving you with bits of shrapnel embedded in your vitals. Before I do this, though, I have to know… do you have any regrets, after all of this?"  
"Yeah, just the one." Scourge said, a wane smile playing across his lips. "I never got to make Fi scream like Anna did."

That last remark was too much for Miles' already burned-out temper. He had abused and murdered Anna. He had done the same to Felicia and Faye. He had driven Miles himself to the point that he was willing to be deliberately sadistic and torturous when exacting his vengeance, and all he could say now was that he was disappointed that he couldn't abuse and murder Fiona. Miles gripped his sword with both hands, and slashed it straight down into Scourge's head. It split his skull immediately, and dug into the ground beneath it once it hit. He let go of the hilt, and left the weapon embedded where it was, before turning back to Alicia, Anima, and Fiona, mopping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

"Thank you." Alicia said, hugging him, as the others expressed similar sentiments. "But I thought you didn't want to kill him."  
"That was the plan, but after that comment… I don't think I could look at him again without being physically sick. And, well, look at it this way. I never sank to his level."  
"True." Alicia nodded. "So, can we put this thing behind us now?"  
"I think so." The young king replied, allowing himself a small, but genuine smile.

* * *

That evening, Miles again visited the cemetery, this time with Alicia and Fiona by his side. They followed him past the freshly dug pit that Scourge's body would be laid in the next morning, to a rather average looking headstone. Engraved on it were the words "_Anna Violet Fox, 3221-3237_", and below that "_Taken before her time, may the afterlife provide the safety she was cheated of in life._" The area around the grave was neat, and the stone itself was polished and clean.

Miles knelt down beside it, and rested his hand on top of the stone, while Alicia and Fiona stood slightly further back.

"I did it." He said, his voice little higher than a hushed whisper. "I don't know if you can hear me, wherever you are… but on the off-chance that you can, I finished it. He's dead. I stopped his vile spree, and wiped his disgusting stain from reality. I want you to know that… there isn't a day that goes by, when I don't wish I could save you from your fate, put a stop to him before all this madness. I just hope that you can forgive me for my failings."

With that, Miles laid a single rose on the grave, and stood up, feeling Alicia curl her arms tightly around his middle. He turned, and reciprocated her loving gesture, as Fiona stared at the grave. She looked over her shoulder at Miles, then at her right hand.

'_Losing Anna affected him this much… he can't have been very different to the Tails I knew before she died… if losing her did this to him… the same could've happened to Tails if Scourge had succeeded…_' She thought, her hand clenching into a fist until her claws started to bite her palm, even through her new glove. Then she turned back to face the royal couple, who had parted now. They looked at her as she approached them, and Miles offered a weak smile.

"What will you do now?" He asked. "I can probably work out a way for you to survive here."  
"I'm flattered by the offer… but I can't accept. I have to go back to my world, and make things right."  
"I understand." He said.  
"Thank you, though. For saving me, and waking me up to the mistake I was making. I'd be dead in a few weeks if you didn't."  
"It was my pleasure, Fiona. I might not have been able to save the others, but I saved you, and I finally got the closure I needed."


End file.
